When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place, and the name of his city [was] Pai. And the name of his wife [was] Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.

And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would surely bless me and enlarge my border. And may your hand be with me, that you would keep me from evil so that it might not harm me!" And God granted what he asked.

And Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and deal harshly with me." But he was very afraid. Then Saul took the sword and fell upon it.

{For some time now}, even when Saul was king, you were {the one who led the army of Israel in battle}. And Yahweh your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel and will be leader over my people Israel.'"

And David had a craving, and he said, "Who could give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem that [is] by the gate!"

And he said, "Far be it from me [that] I would do this before my God. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For {at the risk of their lives} they brought it." And he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

And David went out {to meet them} and answered and said to them, "If you come in peace to me, to help me, {my heart will be joined with you}, but if [you come] to betray me to my adversaries, although [there is] no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment."

And David feared God on that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God [home] to me?"

Then David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you put them into my hand?" And Yahweh said to him, "Go up. I will put them into your hand."

And he went up to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, "God has burst out against my enemies by my hand like waters burst out." Therefore they will call the name of this place Baal-Perazim.

[saying,] "You must not touch my anointed nor do harm to my prophets!"

Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations that [we may] give thanks to your holy name [and] glory in your praise.

"Go and say to David my servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You [are] not to build a house for me to live [in],

In every [place] I have moved about, did I say one word [with] the judges of Israel I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, 'Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?'" '

So now, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel,

And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place and be in anguish no longer. And wicked men will no longer wear them down as before,

from the day that I commanded judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue your enemies, and I declare to you [that] Yahweh will build for you a house.

He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

I myself will be a father to him, and he himself will be a son to me. And I will not remove my steadfast love from him as I took it away from whoever was before you.

And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever." '"

Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, "Who [am] I, O Yahweh God, and what [is] my house that you have brought me thus far?

And this was a small [matter] in your eyes, O God. And you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long [time] and have shown me {future generations to come}, O Yahweh God.

And let your name be established and be magnified forever, saying, 'Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God, and may the house of David your servant be established before you.'

For you, my God, {have informed} your servant [that] you will build a house for him. Therefore, your servant has found [courage] to pray before you.

And now may you begin to bless the house of your servant {to continue forever} before you, for you, O Yahweh, have blessed. And it will be blessed forever."

And David said, "I will deal kindly with Hanun the son of Nahash because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David came to the land of the {Ammonites}, to Hanun, to comfort him.

And he said, "If Aram is too strong for me, then you must be a help to me, but if the {Ammonites} are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Be strong! Let us strengthen ourselves on behalf of our people and on behalf of the cities of our God. And may Yahweh do [what is] good in his eyes."

So David said to Joab and to the commanders of the nation, "Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring a report to me that I might know their number."

But Joab said, "May Yahweh add to the people a hundred times what they are! Are they not, O my lord the king, all of them the king's servants? Why does my lord seek this? Why would he bring guilt to Israel?"

whether three years of famine or three months of devastation by your enemies while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or three days of the sword of Yahweh, with disease in the land and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory in Israel.' So now, see what word I should return to my sender."

Then David said to Gad, "{I am very troubled}. Let me into the hand of Yahweh, for his compassion is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of a man."

Then David said to God, "Was it not I [who] gave a command to count the people? Now I [am] he who has sinned, and I have certainly done wickedness, but these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh, my God, please let your hand be against me and against the house of my father, but against your people, [let there be] no plague."

Then David said to Ornan, "Please give me the place, the threshing floor, that I might build an altar on it to Yahweh; at full price please give it to me, that the plague against the people might be stopped."

And Ornan said to David, "Take [it] to yourself; let my lord the king do what [is] good in his eyes. See, I give the cattle for the burnt offerings and threshing sledges for the wood and wheat for the grain offering--I give [it] all."

Then David said, "Solomon my son [is] a boy and inexperienced, and the house built for Yahweh [must be] exceedingly great in fame and splendor throughout every land. I will make preparations for him." So David provided abundant [materials] before he died.

And David said to Solomon his son, "I myself had in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God,

but it happened [that] the word of Yahweh [came] over me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made much war; you shall not build a house for my name because you have shed much blood upon the ground before me.

He himself will build a house for my name, and he himself will be to me a son, and I [will be] to him as a father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

Now, my son, Yahweh will be with you, that you may succeed and build the house of Yahweh your God as he has spoken concerning you.

Only may Yahweh give to you understanding and insight that he might give you charge over Israel and the keeping of the law of Yahweh your God.

"Is not Yahweh your God with you? And has he [not] given you rest all around? For he has put in my hand the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before Yahweh and before his people.

And King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. {I myself wanted} to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the footstool of our God, and I prepared to build.

But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name because you [are] a man of war, and you have shed blood.'

But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel.

And from all my sons--for Yahweh has given many sons to me--he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel.

And he said to me, 'Solomon your son, he himself shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him as a son to myself, and I myself will be as a father to him,

and I will establish his kingdom forever if {he firmly performs} my commandments and my judgments as [he has to] this day.'

So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Yahweh, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek all the commandments of Yahweh your God so that you may take possession of this good land and bestow [it] as an inheritance to your children after you forever."

"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every plan and [all] thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.

"All this [I give you] in writing; from the hand of Yahweh he instructed me [about] all the workings of this plan."

Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do [this]! Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, [is] with you. He will not fail you and will not forsake you until all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh is finished.

Then David the king said to all the assembly, "God has chosen Solomon my son alone, a young man and inexperienced, and the work [is] great, for the citadel [is] not for humankind, but for Yahweh God.

So I have provided for the house of my God according to all my strength, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and the wood for the things of wood, [along with] an abundance of onyx stones, stones for settings, stones of turquoise, and variegated stones, and all [kinds of] precious stones and alabaster stones.

And moreover, with respect to my provisions for the house of my God I have a treasure of gold and silver that I have given to the house of my God above all that I have provided for the holy house:

And indeed, who [am] I, and who [are] my people that we retain power to offer according to these [offerings] willingly? For everything [is] from you, and from your hand we have given to you.

And I know, my God, that you yourself test the heart and are pleased with uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these [things], and now I have seen your people who are found here willingly offer to you.

Grant to Solomon my son a heart of peace to keep your commands, your statutes, and your regulations to do everything, and to build the citadel for which I have provided."